02:53 - The Fountain of Youth 10:00 - Protect and Grow Wealth 23:45 - Being Your Own Bank 35:35 - Taxes and What You Need to Change 41:37 - Mike Wolf - Head of Sales for De’Longhi Group The Fountain of Youth I recently visited the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, FL and as I was there I was struck by the reality that most of us want to live longer. We would love to have eternal youth and never have to think about the end of our lives.  But then I realized something odd about this idea… Too often we don’t take the time to figure out what we are meant to do today. We’ve not taken any time to discover our purpose.  Why are we hoping for more tomorrows if we haven’t figured out what to do with today? Take some time today and really focus on what your purpose might be in this life. You’re not here out of happenstance, you’re here by design and with a true purpose. Jer. 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” How To Help End Sex Trafficking Every 30 seconds a child somewhere in the world is taken from their family for the sex industry, organ harvesting, or labor.   As you’re working on your life to live with purpose, realize there is something you can do to help end this child abduction and sex trafficking issue.   Watch this video and discover what you can do to help end this major global issue: OURFilm.org   How Do You Protect and Grow Wealth in Any Economy Forget about the idea of “timing the market.” You should certainly keep your eyes open for new opportunity, but don’t make that your mission.   Think of your investment strategy like you do your house. You must have a sturdy foundation or nothing will be stable. Then you have your walls, some of which are “load bearing” and should be a little more sturdy than other walls.  Then there is the rest of stuff you put in your house which aren’t critical to the security of your home. The three tiers of investments are Foundation - Very low risk Walls - Moderate amount of risk Roof - Reduced control of risk Being Your Own Bank   The fact that various industries have their own language can make understanding them much more complicated. “Complexity is the enemy of execution.” When you get to the place in life where you want to take income from your portfolio to support your lifestyle, you may want to consider being your own bank. Utilizing an insurance contract and moving money (from investments or your bank account) into those contracts which are correctly designed for growth. Then when you need to take money out you can do that tax-free. If you’re worried about putting your money into a system which doesn’t have FDIC insurance like your bank does, keep in mind, FDIC insurance isn’t as robust as you might think.  In fact, a lot of the other entities in which you can put your money afford you a lot more protection for your portfolio. A lot of the places or contracts you can use for this purpose are insurance products. Keep in mind, the biggest names are not always the best fit for you. It’s important to shop for exactly what you need.   Taxes and What We Need to Change The upcoming midterm elections could cause some market volatility due to potential changes in our tax laws. It’s important you take time to look at how your investments are structured for your current tax situations but also for future taxes. Now is the time to have someone review your portfolio to make sure you’re maximizing your tax advantages based on the new laws as well as being prepared in the event those laws change after the midterm elections.   Mike Wolf - Head of Sales for De’Longhi Group Retail business has obviously changed dramatically in the past 10 years. With the coming generation, we’re going to be selling to consumers who have never experienced life without digital purchases....